14 photos that show what the nightlife is like in Damascus, Syria's war-torn capital

Dana Daqqaq, a bartender at Pub Sharqi, in Damascus, Syria. "People are tired of war and just want to live a normal life, so they go out, they socialize," she told Reuters.Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

The Syrian civil war has been raging for more than four years, and while millions of refugees have fled the country, there are many young Syrians who are just trying to live normal lives. In Damascus' Old City, just a mile away from the war's front lines, young Syrians have started going to bars and clubs in an effort to experience normality. This is not something you would have seen two years ago — many of these bars have opened just over the past couple of months.

Below, take a look at what nightlife is like in Damascus' Old City, as captured by Reuters photographer Omar Sanadiki:

Security in Damascus improved in February, after Russia's intervention and a partial truce brought a sense of calm.

Locals started to go out and socialize a bit more.

80s Bar.Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

"This is something you certainly wouldn't see two years ago, and it's picked up even more recently," 23-year-old Nicolas Rahal told Reuters. "I can now go to this pub or that nightclub. Places opened and people came."

Experiencing the city's nightlife gives Syrians a chance to live their lives instead of hide in fear.

Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

Late-night socializers can be seen drinking beer, watching football, and smoking water pipes at popular Damascus bars. "People are tired of war and just want to live a normal life, so they go out, they socialize," Dana Daqqaq, a bartender at Pub Sharqi, told Reuters.

La Marionnette Pub.Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

Many people had thought about fleeing the country, but now with the opportunity to socialize and have a somewhat normal life, they have decided to stay put. "When I started to see life I stayed here," 21-year-old Dana Ibrahim told Reuters. "I don't want to be a refugee."

But the war is still happening just miles away from the bars of Damascus' Old City.

Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

Distant artillery fire is sometimes heard, and soldiers carrying assault rifles roam around, searching vehicles for bombs at army roadblocks and causing traffic jams. The death toll has most recently been reported at more than 470,000 people.